Heat and sound insulation



w. F. KIESEL, 3D

HEAT AND SOUND INSULATION Filed Nov. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 10,1939. w. F. KIESEL, so

HEAT AND SOUND INSULATION Filed Nov. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 til! .1

Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to heat and sound insulation and moreparticularly to improvements in insulating structures and materials inwhich reflective surfaces are utilized as heat insulating 5 means.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a novel andimproved insulation construction utilizing the principles of thereflection of radiation from bright surfaces and also of thenon-conduction of heat and sound through alternating thicknesses ofmedia differing greatly in density.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insulation of this typewhich is effective over 15 a wide range of conditions of temperature,and which is of minimum weight and volume and easy to estimate,manufacture, and supply.

Another object of the invention is to provide structures which will notonly effectively impede 20 the transmission of heat but will serve toabsorb and deaden sound waves in the walls or coverings of which theyare a part.

It will be apparent that the invention provides heat insulating andsound absorbing means 25 which may be utilized in controlling conditionsof temperature and audible vibration in transportation units--either forpassengers or freightsound chambers or auditoriums and various otherbuilding and container construc- 30 tions.

In its preferred embodiment, my invention contemplates the provision ofheat and sound insulating structures employing a loosely intermingledmass of narrow, elongated, crumpled ribbons of metal foil or similarreflective surface material which may be loosely confined betweenvarious types of enclosing structures. These structures may includepanels of foil; of ordinary building materials; or wire mesh or otherreticulated construction, which may be readily deformed to enclosespaces of irregular contour.

Incertain structures, my invention contemplates the provision ofconfining walls or panels composed of compacted fibrous material, suchas hair or the like, which are provided on at least one of theirsurfaces with cross corrugations resembling in appearance those of awaffle; the corrugated surface of the panel being cov- 50 ered, as bymeans of a suitable adhesive, with a sheet of thin reflective surfacematerial such as bright metal foil. The foil in these cases may bestretched tautly across the corrugations or it may be indented betweenthese corruga- 65 tions to form depressions which also serve to hinderthe transmission of heat or sound waves vertically along the partitions.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from thespecification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings inl5 which certain embodiments of my invention are set forth by way ofexample.

In the drawings:

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of fragments of two forms of metalribbon employed in insulating devices embodying the principles of myinvention, the thicknesses of the ribbon being exaggerated for purposesof clearer illustration;

Figures 3, 4, and 6 are vertical sectional views of walls or partitionsillustrating modes of carrying out the invention;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an insulated conduitutilizing certain features of the invention; and Figures 8 and 9 arealternative transverse sectional views of such conduits;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a panelor partitionstructure showing another embodiment of the invention;

Figures 11 and 12 are fragmentary views in side elevation and transversecross section, respectively, of a web of material which comprisesanother modification of the invention;

Figure 13 is a sechematic view in elevation illustrating one method offorming the bats or webs shown in Figures 11 and 12;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary plan view; I

Figures 15, 16, 17 and 18 arealternative sectional views of a panel orsheet of material adapted to be employed in certain additionalembodiments of my invention illustrated more clearly in Figures 19, 20and 21 which are sectional views of walls or partitions. somewhatsimilar to those shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5; and

Figure 22 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figures 3, 4 and 5 andillustrating a still further modification in the wall or partitionstructure.

In the process of making metal foil such as aluminum foil there isaccumulated a consider- 46 able quantity of what is known as side scrap.These surplus pieces remaining after the foil is out are approximatelyone-quarter of an inch or fraction thereof in width and of considerablelength, depending upon the length of the sheets 50 of foil being made.Heretofore this side scrap has been discarded as waste material or usedin connection with manufacture of powder, but I have found that massesof this scrap, crumpled and loosely wadded or intermingled, may beemployed to good advantage in connection with providing heat and soundinsulating structures, as will be hereinafter set forth. Obviously,however, the ribbons or shreds of foil to be employed in theseconstructions may be cut from sheet foil prepared especially for thispurpose.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, the reference numeral I0 is applied to ashort section of one of these pieces of ribbon-like side scrap of brightmetal foil, such as aluminum. These ribbons of thin foil tend to kink orassume a wavy configuration and, when a number of such ribbons areintermingled or loosely matted together, they provide in any space intowhich they may be introduced a great number of irregular, tortuous aircells, and efiectively reduce convection currents within the insulatingspace. provide great numbers of reflective surfaces which further add tothe insulating properties of the mass. Such a loose mass of side scrapribbon is shown at l5 between the partitions or panels 5, the wholeproviding a wall which may form a part of a building structure, acontainer-such as a refrigerator, or a transportation vehicle such as afreight or passenger carrying unit of railway rolling stock.

For certain purposes some metal foils are provided with paper backinglayers and the side scrap resulting from the manufacture of thismaterial is also useful in this connection, although probably not quiteas effective as the bare foil. In Figure 2 there is illustrated at I2 aribbon of this material, the foil layer being shown at 13 and the paperlamination at M.

One instance of an eiiective use of my novel insulating material isshown in the lower portion of Figure 3 in which the mass of foil ribbonl5 is inserted between the flooring l8 and the lower ceiling structure20. Should sheet foil be used for the insulation of horizontalpartitions the condensation. on the upper surfaces or these sheets wouldcause them to sag and break. This difficulty is entirely eliminated bythe use of my loosely intermingled ribbon foil.

Another example of the use of the ribbon foil in providing heat andsound insulating structures is shown in Figure 4 of the drawings inwhich there is disposed a horizontal wire 22 between the partitionpanels l6, over which numerous strands or ribbons of foil are laid. Thusthe foil ribbons cascade downwardly from the wire 22 forming a sort ofcurtain 23 between the wall partitions, and due to the kinking or wavingof the several ribbons, numerous irregular and broken air spaces areformed in the wall and convection currents are efiectively inhibited.

In Figure 5 of the drawings, there is illustrated a construction inwhich there are disposed between the partition walls or panels 16 anumber of spaced sheets of metal foil or other sheet or insulatingmaterial, indicated at 25. These sheets may be held in taut parallelspaced positions as by means of the spacing strips or blocks 26 ateither end of the partition. In former cases where thesespaced sheets offoil have been used, it was necessary that the wall structure beabsolutely tight to prevent rupturing or bursting oi the sheets of foil.In my improved construction, however, the spaces between the sheets 25and between these sheets and the panels I6 are loosely filled withmasses of ribbon foil as at I5. This provides an eifective bracing meansfor the panels and also prevents convection currents and inhibitscondensation.

It may be noted at this point that the crum- They also pied, looselymatted mass of foil is so light in weight, and of such a degree ofresilience that there is very little settling of the mass after it isinserted in the insulating structure. Adhesive material may be added forfurther stability at surfaces or throughout the structure.

In Figure 22 of the drawings there is illustrated an embodiment of theinvention in which layers of loosely matted ribbon or shredded materialH are attached to the inside surfaces of the outer walls l6, preferablyby means of a suitable adhesive. In this figure there is alsoillustrated an intermediate panel or plate 25 to which similar layers ofmatted reflective material have been secured. This intermediateconstruction may be omitted if desired and the air spaces 19 may beallowed to remain as such or be firm with any other suitable insulatingmaterial.

I Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 6 of thedrawings in which there is disposed between the walls or panels l6asimilar loose mass of crumpled ribbon foil, as at 28, havingintermingled therewith a number of shredded particles 30 ofconfetti-like material made of paper, Cellophane, or the like. For somepurposes, this intermingled material may be of a fibrous nature, such ashair or shredded asbestos, or it may even be-a substance having agranular consistency. These intermingled materials are useful in someconstructions in fur ther sub-dividing the air spaces in'the insulatingstructure.

Thus far there has been described insulating constructions employingvertical or horizontal panels of regular configuration, such as may beemployed in building construction and containers. In order to adapt myinvention to irregular contours such as for examplepipes and conduits,the adaptations illustrated in Figures '7, 8 and 9 may be employed. InFigure 8 a conduit 32 is illustrated which has a square cross-sectionand a circular conduit is illustrated at 33 in Figure 9. The masses ofribbon foil 15 in these cases are held between spaced frames or basketsof reticulated material such as the wire mesh 35, preferably havingsomewhat smaller apertures than in ordinary chicken wire. These basketsor frames may be secured to the supporting structure and to each otherby any suitable means and provide means for readily adapting theinsulating structure to widely varying irregular surfaces,

In Figure 10 of the drawings there is illustrated a modification whichalso employs a screen or panel of reticulated material, such as wiremesh or expanded metal, for example. The frame is indicated at 36 inFigure 10 and the metal foil ribbon indicated at 38 is intertwinedthroughout the meshes of the screen or is loosely adherent thereto. Ifdesirable or necessary, 'a small quantity of a suitable adhesive may beemployed to aid in attaching the crumpled foil ribbons to the frame.This type of insulation may find a variety of uses in buildingconstructions or the like.

Instead of being scattered or suspended in an exceedingly loose crumpledmass, the foil ribbon may be made up in webs or bats of insulatingmaterial which may be for some purposes more convenient in handling andinstalling. One embodiment of this material is illustrated in Figures 11and 12 of the drawings in which bat or web 40 is composed of continuousdiagonal laminations 4| of matted foil ribbons, either used alone or incombination with other material, for example, of a fibrous nature. Onemethod of preparing this material is indicated diametrically in Figure13 of the drawings in which a mass of foil ribbons or like material isfed into the hopper 45 between the rollers 46. From the hopper the flatweb of matted ribbon-like foil 45 is fed upon travelling belt 41. Fromthe belt 41 the web is fed upon travelling belt 48 which is carried by aframe including the rolls 49, which is adapted to reciprocatehorizontally and thus serve to pile the continuously fed web 46 uponitself in a series of diagonal layers, as indicated in the drawings. Theresulting structure 40 may be taken from the belt 48 in any desiredmanner, and further compacted if desired. This may also form a part of acombining operation.

A still further adaptation of the principles of my invention is shown inthe remaining figures of drawings. It will be noted that Figures 19, 20and 21 are exactly the same as Figures 3, 4 and 5 with the exceptionthat there is interposed between the wall panels 16 and the inner massof foil the structures indicated generally by the reference numeral 50.In Figure 19, the crumpled ribbon foil mass is shown at l5. In Figure 20the curtain 23 of crumpled foil is suspended from a; wire 22,-and inFigure 21 the spaced foil sheets 25 are held in place as in the otherembodiment by means of strips 26, or they may be held by an adhesive.

The interposed layers 50 in these constructions are illustrated indetail in Figures 14-18 of the drawings. The base of this material is asheet 52 of fibrous material, such as hair, having at least one surfaceprovided with the indentations 53, leaving the raised cross corrugations54, and giving to the surface a waflle-like configuration. Across theprojecting faces of the cross corrugations 54, as shown in Figure 15,there is laid the sheet of bright metal foil 55. This pro* vides a veryeffective reflective surface and also the dead air spaces 55 within theindentations 53 of the surface of the fibrous material.

It will be noted that in Figure 15, the outer surfaces of the combinedstructure 50 are smooth, but in order to make the foil surface moreirregular to impede any convection currents moving along the face of thematerial, the foil may be indented to varying degrees into the hollowsor indentations 53 of the backing web. In Figure 16 the foil 55 is shownhaving a slight indentation, as at 51, but is still spaced from thebottoms of the depressions 53. In Figure 17 of the drawings the foil 55is depressed a little further and contacts with the bottom of eachindentation 53 at substantially a single point as at 58. In Figure 18,however, a foil is pressed into the indentations 53 so as to contact sofar as possible with substantially their entire inner surface.

It is obvious, of course, that the constructions just described haveconsiderable insulating properties of their own and can be used alone aswell as in combination with the crumpled ribbon masses illustrated inFigures 19-21 in the drawings, or in combination with sheets of foil.The fibrous backing material may be of any consistency and stiffness,this being regulated by the amount of sizing material employed in itsmanufacture. The nature of the foil and the rolling determines thenature of the surface.

Tests show that the corrugations improve the heat insulating qualitiesin comparison with the foil applied to the smooth surface, and theapplication of the foil may be made a part of the felting process ratherthan a separate operation. This affords a material saving inmanufacturing costs. This saving is not possible in connection with theapplication of foil to the plane side of felted hair materials.

One important advantage of the constructions provided in accordance withthe present invention is that they may be applied to existing structuresin order to render the walls and partitions sound-proof and heatinsulated, as well as in new buildings, containers, etc. This is notpossible in most of the constructions which employ sheet foil alone andwhich are limited in their application to new buildings and otheroriginal structures.

It will be understood that various. changes and modifications may bemade in the embodiments illustrated and described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A heat and sound insulating construction comprising spaced inner andouter retaining walls surrounding the space to be insulated and a looseuncompacted mass of ribbons of reflective surface material suspended soas to hang substantially vertically between said walls.

2. A heat and sound insulating construction comprising a support and acurtain comprising a loosely intermingled mass of ribbons of reflectivesurface material suspended from said support.

3. A heat and sound insulating construction comprising a support, and acascade of narrow elongated ribbons of bright metal foil depending fromsaid support.

4. A heat and sound insulating construction comprising a pair ofconfining walls, a supporting member at the upper end of the spacebetween said walls, and a cascade of narrow elongated ribbons of brightmetal foil depending from said supporting member and confined betweensaid walls.

5. A heat and sound insulating structure comprising a laminated web ofloosely matted bright metal foil ribbons.

6. A heat and sound insulating structure comprising a laminated web,each lamination comprising a layer of loosely matted bright metal foilribbons;

'7. A heat and sound insulating structure comprising a diagonallylaminated web, each lamination comprising a layer of loosely mattedbright metal foil ribbons.

WILLIAM F. KIESEL, 3p.

